The Darkest Shade of Blue
by fullhousegrl22
Summary: Blue: the color of truth, the sky, and most importantly, the color of surgical scrubs. Mark and Lexie have to recover each other before they can finally recover themselves. Language and some strong themes involved. Cannon couples & slightly A/U
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! **

**So..i'm new to the Grey's Anatomy fanfic world, so I just thought I would post the first chapter of my story and see how it goes over with you peoples=]**

**I did use some episode content, but kind of made it different.**

**Some language, and a suggestive theme.**

**WARNING: drama starts in the first chapter!**

**Mark and Lexie aren't the cute happy couple for the first chapter...just read to see...it'll get better, I promise!  
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The Darkest Shade of Blue

**Chapter 1: Just the Start**

(Lexie's POV)

No one really knows how their day is going to start. As surgeons, we all hope it starts with a trauma and ends with another trauma. The thing is, we all hope for life threatening injuries so we can get surgeons, but the greater the damage, the greater the risk for death. The only way we can stop death is to cheat it.

We can put people on life support, ventilators, and all the meds in the book, but nothing is going to stop death. The hardest part of the job is to look up at the clock and say those three words, "_Time of death."_ Sometimes we all just wonder if we inserted the breathing tube earlier, gave them their intravenous fluids before hand, or even stared the surgery just minutes before that they wouldn't die, but sometimes that's just the way things are.

There are the times where you wish people were dead all at the same time too. No one hopes that people die, but then again, that one spark will set you off, and sometimes, just sometimes, your wish will come true. Whatever inspires people to desire their wish is completely insane, but we all can't help but feel that at one point.

I sighed to myself as I twirled my straw around in my drink. Only about half way into the intern year and things haven't let up once. Residents, attending's, and interns never get along. First, you have the dark and twisty sister with the world class neurosurgeon drama. The Grey's were known for their drama, but no one ever said that it wouldn't go on…especially for over a year and a half now. Meredith finally forgave Derek, but we all have the suspicion that Derek isn't forgiving himself.

Then you have my attending, Christina. Cardio goddess as she thinks she is actually. Gluing herself with Dr. Hunt is actually working itself out for once. He gives her the entire cardio trauma that rushes into the emergency room while the other three of us sit around and go and get coffee for any attending.

Dr. Shepherd, Meredith's boyfriend, is the head of neurosurgery over at Seattle Grace. Best friends with Dr. Sloan, he gets by pretty easily.

See, there are so many relationships over at the hospital that people stopped keeping track after about three. Seattle Grace is gossip central, and if you as much talk to someone, it's in the cafeteria by noon. No one knows how to keep their mouth shut, and if it were up to them, we wouldn't be a hospital, but we would be a reality show.

"I hate apples," I finally said while Mark lifted his head up from his drink and looked at me.

"What?" he said.

I sighed as I stirred my drink a little bit more, "You told me to tell you something that most people wouldn't guess about me, and I hate apples. They aren't fruit despite the seeds. Surprisingly enough, I do enjoy apple juice, but usually only in juice boxes," I told him while I nodded my head staring down at my drink.

Mark laughed, "Well then, I'll be sure to remember that. Now, I've been hearing rumors, is it true that you have a photographic memory?" he asked.

I laughed a little bit while I nodded, "Yes."

He looked at me dead in the face, "Periodic table and go," he said without changing his facial expression.

I smiled, "Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicone, phosphorus, sulfur, I can keep going," I said with a little laugh.

He laughed back while shaking his head, "You are one of a kind, Lexie Grey," he said while drinking some of his drink.

I nodded a little bit towards him, "I can say the same for you, Mark Sloan," I said while I nudged his shoulder.

He looked at his watch and frowned, "Well, I have the graveyard shift to go attend to. I'll see you tomorrow, Little Grey," he said while he smiled and got up to leave.

"My name is Lexie," I muttered.

_The next day…._

I sighed in frustration as I walked into the hospital. There is just the feeling that today is going to be a bad day, and I'm finally starting to feel it.

I quickly made my way into the intern locker room and noticed that most of the interns were there too which meant that I was on time, or everyone else was just late. As I went by my locker, I received the daily 'hello' from Megan and Steve while I just nodded back to them in a friendly way.

"Numbers 1, 3, and 4, you're with me today," Christina barked as she came into the locker room handing them charts. "Two, Chief wants to see you," she said right before she sighed and walked out.

I groaned in frustration, "This day is already getting bad," I whispered to myself as I walked out of the locker room and made my way over to the Chief's office. No one sees the chief unless they are in trouble, and I haven't killed anyone lately, so I have absolutely no idea what I did wrong.

As soon as I knocked on the door, Chief was already there to open it, "Dr. Grey, come in," he said while holding the door open for me.

I nodded, "Thank you, sir," I said back while he told me to have a seat on the couch.

He sat down at his desk and quickly looked at me with a straight face, "Lexie, your father is in the hospital," he started to say before I cut him off.

"Well shouldn't you have paged Meredith?" I asked him with a sour look on my face, "Because by the looks of it, they are much better friends than we are," I said while I crossed my arms over my chest. I was in no mood to have to be talked about with my father at this point.

The Chief sighed, "Lexie, I'm worried about your relationship with Meredith and Thatcher," he said while looking at his desk, "You three have never been able to be in the same room without something happening," he said.

I nodded my head, "Well, that may have something to do with the fact that he picked her over Molly and me, or that he's usually drunk and can't even remember my name, or we could just go with the fact that he now hates me because I look to much like my mother which he thinks Meredith killed," I snapped at him.

His eyes narrowed, "Your father needs you. He's being discharged in a little while for some minor bruising from a fall he took at a supermarket, and we need you to take him home. You don't have to talk to him, you just have to do it," he said sternly.

I sighed, "Fine, but next time, page Meredith," I said as I walked out of the room and over to trauma. As soon as I got there, I saw Dr. Bailey giving my father the discharge papers. I quickly walked over to his bed and started to help him get his things together.

"I want Meredith," he slurred as he swatted my hand away not accepting my help.

Bailey gave a sad look as she walked away, "Dad, it's me, Lexie. Come on, let's get you home," I said as I tried to help him again.

He shook his head while standing up, "No, I said I wanted Meredith. What the hell's wrong with you?" he asked in an angry tone. "I want Meredith!" he screamed for the whole trauma department to hear. As soon as he started to yell, Dr. Bailey quickly came back in.

"Uh, Sir, Meredith is currently in another trauma. Dr. Grey is more than capable to take you home," she said in a hurry as I walked over a third time and tried to help him get his stuff.

This time, he pushed me harder and managed to knock me into the suture table kit causing me to fall down, "Shit," I muttered as I noticed my wrist starting to swell and blood starting to drip down my face, "Shit," I muttered again.

"I want Meredith, I want Meredith, and I want Meredith! She was the good daughter! Never complained, and wasn't whiny and going off and leaving your mother and I alone!" he started to scream while more people started to file in to see what the commotion was about.

Thankfully, Meredith was one of those people, but instead of going to see Thatcher, she came directly over to me, "Lexie!" she gasped out as she helped me stand up and walk me over to another bed and then going back to see our father.

"Bailey, why don't you just call a cab? He's no good to anyone in this state," Meredith said before coming back over to me. "Does he usually do this?" she asked me while she picked up the bad hand and started to put pressure. I simply nodded to her question.

I gasped out in pain as soon as she started touching it, "Let's get you to radiology and get this X-rayed. We can stitch up your face later," she said while closely examining the cut.

I sighed, "Fine," I said as we stood up slowly and started to walk towards radiology before being stopped by Derek.

"What happened?" he asked as he rushed over, picked up his light pen and started to flash it in my eyes.

I squinted away, "Dr. Shepherd, I'm fine. I just need my wrist x-rayed. There is no trauma to my head," I said as I pulled away and continued to walk, only this time being stopped my none other than Mark Sloan with Meredith and Derek walking next to him.

"What happened?" Mark said as he walked over and started to inspect the cut.

I quickly flinched away, "I'm fine, just let me get this x-rayed," I said I tried to push past them, but unfortunately used the bad wrist, "Ow," I gasped out in pain as I clutched my right arm even closer to me now.

All three of them looked at each other for a split second before looking to me, "Do you want a wheelchair?" Meredith asked me as I shook my head.

"Will one of you just please take me," I snapped at them while Mark walked forward, "Here, I'll take you then I can stitch up your face," he said while he put his arm gently on my left shoulder and started guiding me down the hallway to the elevator.

"So, do you want to tell me how this happened?" he asked as soon as we got on.

I shook my head, "Not really, but my dad. He's drunk, and when he's drunk, he picks his favorite daughter. Unfortunately, today just happened to be Meredith, and he won't let anyone help him if they aren't Meredith," I explained to him with a sigh.

He nodded his head, "Well, if you happen to ask me, you are better than Meredith in my opinion. I haven't heard her recite the periodic table, now have I?" he asked with a little laugh.

I smiled at him, "I'm sure she could if you asked her. I think I can go on my own from here," I said as I stepped out of the elevator, but soon noticed that Mark was right behind me.

"Little Grey," he said sternly as he stepped in front of me causing me to stop, "How long has this been going on?" he asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

I sighed, "For a few months, okay? Now seriously, I just want to get my wrist checked out by Dr. Torres then act like nothing happened. Maybe get a drink at Joe's afterwards, but that's about it. I'm just not in a good mood, okay?" I snapped at him.

He gave a little grin, "You've been snapping a lot lately," he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes, "Thank you for pointing out the obvious," I stated while I tried to walk past him. "Move," I told him with a serious look on my face while he didn't move. "Mark, move it damn it," I yelled at him while everyone around us turned and looked. "Please," I whispered in a dark tone.

He smiled, "Now that's more like it," he said while he finally let me past him.

"This is going to be a long day," I muttered while I walked into radiology.

After waiting for my scans to come through, Calli finally came in, "Well, your wrist is a clean break, so you're going to have it casted, but on the bright side, no surgery," she said with a small smile. "Mark told me what happened, and I'm sorry," she said softly as she began to gather up materials to cast. "Do you want color?" she asked while she held up rolls of casting plaster.

"It's not your fault and blue please," I said while she nodded.

As she started to wrap my arm she started talking, "You know, I don't think I've seen Mark this concerned for anyone let alone an intern," she said with a small laugh.

"What?"

She smiled, "You know Mark, he's the one that goes around from bed to bed trying to pass off his emotions through sex, but he actually seems interested in you…as a relationship I mean," she said while nodding to herself. "Honestly, I think you're good for him. He needs someone to set him straight."

I smiled to myself, "No offense, but why are you telling me this?"

She laughed, "Mark and I are work husband and work wife, so it's our job to look out for each other, whether it be in relationships or professional business, we just have to have the other person's back. If you haven't noticed, we all have our people. Alex has Izzie, Mark has me, Derek has Meredith, the Chief has Bailey, Owen has Christina, and it looks to me that you don't have your person."

"George used to be my person, then it got awkward, then he joined the military, and we hear from him every few weeks. You're right, I don't have a person," I said with a sigh, "Thank you for giving me another reason that this day is horrible," I groaned out.

Callie laughed, "No, see, you have people. You have Meredith, you sometimes have Christina, you have me to fix the family issues, literally," she said with a laugh, "And then you have Mark. If I'm not mistaken, he was the one that made sure you got here safe. If it were any other intern, he would have just said, 'Go up three floors, then make a left,' and would have ended it there, but he wanted to make sure that you were here safe. He likes you," she stated plainly while adding more plaster.

I frowned, "I've barely talked to him though," I pointed out.

She shrugged her shoulders, "That doesn't mean anything, Lexie," she said bluntly, "It only takes a few minutes to know that you like them. We're not seventh graders where we have to write notes and put them in peoples lockers, all we have to do is talk to them. As much as you hate to admit it, you like him too," she said.

I laughed, "Yea, an intern with an attending who just happens to be named Mark Sloan is really going to work out," I said while I rolled my eyes.

"Meredith and Derek," she pointed out. "I don't know if you know this, but Christina was engaged to the Preston Burke, but he bailed out on their wedding day. So, having an attending as a boyfriend, fiancé, or even a husband is nothing to stress out about," she said while she started to apply the color to the cast.

I sighed, "My life is just complicated enough as it is, I don't need a relationship to have to make it more stressful," I said to her arguing back.

She laughed, "Who knows, Little Grey, maybe he's just the thing you need to turn all of this around," she said while she patted the cast, "All done," she said with a smile. "Let's go get you stitched up now," she said while we both got up and made our way out of radiology and into the pit.

"Can you stitch me up?" I asked her as I sat down on one of the hospital beds.

She laughed, "I'm in orthopedics, Lexie. You should be asking plastics," she said with a sly smile before walking away.

"Of course," I muttered.

"Of course what?" Mark asked before sitting on a chair and pulling out the suture kit.

"Nothing," I answered back while he started to disinfect the wound.

As soon as he numbed up my forehead, he started to suture, "Why did you pick blue for your cast?" he asked all of a sudden.

I laughed a little bit, "First of all, it's my favorite color. Then we could go with the fact that it would match my scrubs, or in my opinion, blue is the most peaceful color. Just like the water or the sky, you can rarely find an imperfection with it. I just feel as though that I should have some reminder that things can't always be that bad," I said while I held up my right hand and looked at it with a small smile for a few seconds.

He smiled back, "Just so happens that blue is also my favorite color. Although, I personally think that blue is a powerful color. It represents strength and stability. It is a peaceful color, but you have to work your way up to it. Think about it this way, our blood is actually blue, so it's what keeps us alive, so it's strength to me," he said while he started to stitch.

I smiled, "That's a good reason, but maybe it was also the fact that it was between blue and red," I said with a little laugh.

He laughed back, "Then blue is most definitely the color to go with," he said while nodding approvingly. "So, how is your relationship with Meredith?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Not the best sister relationship you could want, but we get by I guess. She's wrapped up in Derek or Christina, rarely goes back to her home, and never really talks about her personal life that is outside of the hospital," I answered him bluntly.

He nodded his head, "Well, sometimes it's better to not know a person then to know them and start to hate them," he said with a straight face.

"What?"

He laughed, "I mean, would you want to try to get to know someone and find out that they are a complete moron and wish you never met them, or would you want to not know them and be content with the people you already know?" he asked me.

I smiled, "I never actually thought about it that way, but in a way, I guess you're right. I love Meredith as a sister, and I try to know her, but it's kind of in the middle for me. She doesn't really let me into her life as much as I could be, but then again, we don't really talk unless it's about our parents."

He shook his head, "You Grey's and your parents. The day that Ellis Grey died is the day that Meredith drowned. Your mother died of the hiccups, and both of your father is an alcoholic who can't be in the same room with two of you without going on a rampage."

I laughed, "Yea, that's the Grey's for you," I said while he smiled.

He applied a bandage and took off his gloves, "Well, I'll check your stitches in a few days, but as for the hand, no surgery for a few weeks," he said while getting up. "You can't operate with a broken wrist, even if you are left handed," he said without looking back. "Stop scowling," he said while turning around and facing me.

I laughed, "You know me, Mark Sloan," I told him while we got up and started to go our separate directions.

"No surgery!" he yelled out one more time before continuing to walk on.

(Mark's POV)

"No," Derek said time after time again.

"Why?" I asked him again as we were walking on the bridge towards the emergency room.

He sighed and stopped and turned around to face me, "Little Grey is off limits. You need to stay away from her. Trust me, I don't need you to screw her up even more, because if you do, then Meredith is going to take it out on me, and then your face won't be so attractive anymore," he said before he turned around and continued to walk.

"I'm not saying I want a one night stand, Derek, I'm just asking for a chance," I said while I jogged to keep up with him.

"And all I'm asking for is for you to stay away. Find another intern to break their heart. You owe me this much," he said to me.

I groaned out in frustration, "Are you seriously not over the whole Addison thing?" I said in a loud voice.

He laughed while turning around, "Addison thing? She was my _wife,_ Mark. She wasn't a thing. Now, you owe me to now screw up this relationship that I have just because of your own selfish needs. Seriously, keep little Sloan away from Little Grey, Mark," he said sternly before walking away.

"Little Sloan? It's big Sloan," I muttered out before walking the complete opposite direction.

I sighed as I continued to walk the corridors into the ICU. As I walked in, Lexie was standing there doing paperwork, "Hey," I said as I slid next to her.

She looked up and smiled back, "Hey," she said while she continued to write. "What brings you over here?" she asked while she finished up and closed the patients file.

I shrugged, "It's my break, just thought I would wonder around, try to find you maybe," I said with a grin. "I also needed to see how your stitches were healing, but by the looks of things, they seem to be healing quite nicely," I said while I looked at her forehead and saw them starting to patch up a thin pink line.

She nodded, "They feel fine actually. I can't believe it's been a week since the incident, and still no word from him, not even an apology," she said while she muttered the last part.

I looked at her with a serious look, "You aren't going near him anytime soon, so I would take that as an apology," I said coldly.

She gave me a questioning look, "And why is that?" she said with a laugh.

I groaned while I quickly pulled her into the closest on call room to us, "This isn't a joking matter, Lexie!" I snapped at her. "Your dad, your own _father_ broke your wrist and gave you a gash in your forehead, and you want to see him again? You aren't going anywhere near him until he's at least six months sober," I told her in a stern tone.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "And who's going to stop me?" she said while she started to walk towards the door.

I stepped in front of her blocking the door, "Derek, Meredith, Callie, oh I don't know, me?" I said while she rolled her eyes.

"Very thoughtful, Mark, but he's my dad-"she started to say before I cut her off.

"Exactly!" I yelled. "Dad's don't do this to their children no matter how old they are. All they are supposed to do is love them and never hurt them, but what did your dad do, Lexie? Your dad physically harmed you. You should just be lucky we didn't call the police on him," I said while I started to walk around in circles around the room.

"Mark, where is this coming from?" Lexie asked softly.

For once in my life, I just exploded at someone, which happened to be Lexie, "My past! My parents were never home, and the only parent I had was Mrs. Shepherd. So if I were you, I would just appreciate the fact that you get to choose if you can see them or not, because I wouldn't want to go anywhere near them if I had the choice. But no, mine was forced! I was forced to stay all alone and learn to fend for myself. I didn't have parents to go home to and tell them about my day because to me they didn't exist!" I finally screamed out.

She looked back at me in a scared way, "I…I don't know what to say," she said finally while looking down to the ground.

"Because there is nothing to say," I said back to her in a softer tone. "So, if you want to go and have him put your life in more danger, then be my guest. Just don't come to Seattle Grace and expect people to fix you up, because you're basically asking to get hurt by going to him," I told her while I walked out of the door and slammed it shut.

I quickly walked past the nurses' station hoping that no one could hear what went on inside the on call room, but also just wanted to get as far away from Lexie as I could. I wasn't exactly mad at her, but just taking out my anger on her. I actually did mean what I said at the end though. She basically is asking to get beaten again.

"Hey," Callie said while walking towards me.

"Hi," I answered back in a grunt as I kept on walking.

"Mark," she said sternly as she made both of us stop in the middle of the hallway.

"What do you want?" I yelled at her in a harsh tone.

She glared at me, "Well all I wanted to do was say hello, but you turned it into more. What's going on with you?" she snapped at me while I sighed in frustration and slammed my hand on the nurses' station right next to me.

"Everything is going on, okay? First, Lexie wants to go back to her house and basically get beaten again, and then she wants to stick up for her father! And I was forced to bring up my parents, in which we both know is a _very_ touchy subject, and she just makes it so hard to like her!" I yelled out in frustration while she smiled the entire time. "Why are you smiling?" I snapped at her.

She laughed as she patted me on the back, "Figure it out and then tell that person," she said right before she walked away.

"I hate women," I muttered before I walked away and into my office to catch up on my paperwork.

(Lexie's POV…a few days later)

I walked into radiology determined to find Callie. "Hey," I said while I found her sitting at a desk filing out charts intently. After a while of no response I decided to try again, "Callie, I need your help on something," I said louder this time while she looked up.

She smiled as soon as she saw me, "What can I do for you, Lex?" she asked while she put the file away.

"I need you to take my cast off for a few hours. There is this huge surgery that Shepherd and I have been working on for a while, and I need the cast off to do it," I told her while she just laughed. "Why does everyone always laugh when I ask for a favor?" I asked in a mutter.

She looked serious at this point, "You would have to go to plastics to get your hand cleared for surgery, and if I know Mark, he won't do that for a few more weeks. And no, I'm not laughing at that, I'm laughing at the fact that you are too scared to go up to Mark and ask him himself. After your little fight you two had the other day, you haven't spoken. So, if you want to do the surgery, get it cleared with plastics, then I will think about taking the cast off," she said right before she walked away.

I started to mutter nonsense while I was walking over to Mark's office. You know, a photographic memory comes in handy when you're trying to track down people. Like, I know that Mark doesn't like to work on Tuesday's unless it's a big case, so he does the paperwork that no one else does.

I knocked on his door shyly, "Come in," he yelled after I knocked.

As soon as I entered the office, he looked up with a straight look, "May I help you, Dr. Grey," he said in all seriousness.

I rolled my eyes without him noticing. Since when did he call me Dr. Grey? "Mark, I need you to clear me for surgery. The hand doesn't even hurt that bad anymore, and I haven't even been in an OR for two weeks, and you said a couple weeks, and I do believe that a couple is around two, so I want the cast off," I said as I started to ramble.

"No," he said simply while looking back down to his paperwork. "When I said a couple of weeks, I meant it. I was thinking more along the lines of four to eight weeks. You have a clean break, and you shouldn't be doing anything with that hand except resting it."

I groaned, "I demand you clear me for surgery," I said in a dark tone while he looked up with dark eyes.

"You can't demand anything. You are an intern, I am an attending. If anything, I demand things from you, and speaking of which, I demand that you get out of my office immediately before I call the Chief and have security personally take you out," he said while standing up and slamming both hands down on the desk looking at me straight in the eyes.

I glared right back at him, "Well if you or Callie won't do it, then I guess I will by myself," I said as I huffed and walked out of the room.

"Alexandra Grey," he warned while coming out of his office, "You better not," he said sternly.

I chose to ignore him and started to walk towards the OR's, "You make is so hard for me to like you!" he shouted for the entire surgical floor to hear, while I stopped dead in my tracks and faced him with an open mouth. "Shit," he muttered while he stood still as well.

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**So...did ya like it?**

**I sure hope so, because it's difficult to write in Mark's POV hahaha**

**Well...reviews would really help!**

**I want you all to tell me if i should continue my story or not**

**So...Imma go with..5-10 reviews before I update my story (yes..i am pushy)**

**So..hope to see you in my review world!**

**~Sammiee!  
**


	2. The Color of Peace

**O.O you guys are the best! **

**I totally wasn't expecting 11 reviews for the first chapter, let alone within 18 hours!**

**So...I wrote the second chapter, and WARNING: off character again!**

**Oh! And I like to switch POV's...it just gets the message across easier for me then trying to guess what the other person would be thinking when I could just do a whole thousand or two words for them haha**

**Well...I hope you enjoy! **

**I has a question for you all at the endd!  
**

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**Chapter 2: The Color of Peace**

(Mark's POV)

They say that it only takes one time to screw up peoples trust, and then it takes forever to build up again. There are the occasional times when people look past what happened and decide to give you another chance, but that is a very rare time.

Not one person knows how to live once we screwed up, because we have to live with the mistake for the rest of your life. Even if it's just something small, it's always hidden in the subconscious just waiting for the right time to let the guilt come out. You know, those memories seem to come out at the worst time possible. Like, if you're already having a bad day, then these little memories come back and make it even worse.

Every now and then, we try to renew ourselves from these memories, but then they are only replaced with something even worse. Things don't always go as planned, and sometimes you just snap, and all you can do if remember those memories, even if they weren't your fault.

Sometimes, all you really want to do is _disappear. _

I sighed to myself as I went into the intern locker room. It's been almost two weeks since my outburst, and Lexie and I have both been avoiding each other. Fortunately, today is the day that she needs her next X-ray to see how the break is healing, but knowing her, she's going to try to get into a surgery, which, maybe I just might let her.

Since no interns were in there at the time, I opened Lexie's locker and put a six pack of apple juice in it. I smiled to myself a little bit. I usually don't remember intern's names let alone what they drink. As much as it's killing me, I do have to admit that I honestly like her.

The worst part of all of this is that I don't know if she went to her dad's house. Part of me is wishing that she didn't so she wouldn't get hurt, but part of me actually wanted her to so I'd be able to protect her. Yea, I know that's messed up, but there is just this feeling that you want to have that's protection for a girl.

I quickly made my way out of the intern locker room and over to my office, but as soon as I walked out, I saw that Callie was walking that way, "Hey?" she said in a questioning tone while looking at the locker room and back to me a few times, "Were you just in the intern's locker room?" she asked me.

"Yes," I mumbled while looking down to the floor.

She laughed, "Mark Sloan in an intern's room. That's either a really bad sign, or you're starting to become friends with some of the interns," she said with a smile.

I shook my head, "I don't make friends with interns, and you know that. I was just in there…inspecting," I stated in more of a questioning tone.

She smiled and shook her head, "Let's go with that, but speaking of interns, your favorite one has an X-ray scheduled for today. Do you want to scans when I'm done? Or am I the one that'll clear her for surgery?" she asked me while we both started to walk to the closest nurses' station.

"I want the scans," I answered immediately. "And no, I'm not clearing her for surgery unless the break is completely healed and she has perfect function of her hand. I'm doing this for the patients' safety too, Callie, not just hers."

She nodded, "True, but she hasn't complained about any pain since the day, so I'm taking that it isn't that bad anymore," she pointed out.

I sighed, "It's just not about the pain. It's about whether or not she's ready to be holding suction let alone a scalpel. If she really wants in on a surgery, she can scrub in and just watch," I told her finally while she shrugged her shoulders.

"I have a hip replacement a few hours after her scans are ordered for, so once we see if its better, she can scrub in on my surgery," she compromised with me.

"Then I want in on the surgery too," I told her bluntly while she stood there and laughed for a few seconds.

"Mark Sloan wants in on an orthopedic surgery? Do you even know how to do a hip replacement?" she asked me.

"I'll know by the end of today," I said with a small smile.

She smiled back, "Then no," she said before she started to walk away.

"What?" I asked her while I stopped her in an angry tone.

She sighed while placing her hand on her hip, "I know why you want in on the surgery, and honestly, she doesn't need a babysitter to make sure she doesn't touch any of the surgical instruments. That's why I'm letting her scrub in on the surgery because I know she won't try to pull anything like that on me. Now, if it were Dr. Hunt's surgery, then he would probably let her, but do I look like him? No, so that's why you should be thankful that it's me and not him," she said finally before walking away.

"This is going to be a long day," I said while I walked back towards my office.

(Lexie's POV)

Surprisingly, this week has been going by pretty good. Going by Mark's request, I never did go see my dad after the incident, but maybe that's just part of me. I mean, who would want to go see the person that literally broke you? I know that you are supposed to forgive people for their mistakes, but sometimes it just takes a while, you know?

I sighed to myself as I walked into the intern locker room. Today was the day that I was supposed to see how my wrist was healing, and I was praying that Mark could clear me for surgery. After I missed out on Shepherd's case, I couldn't even look at him without wanting to punch him in the face.

Mark and I haven't really talked in the last few weeks. He's mad at me for 'demanding' thing, I'm mad at him for the whole 'no surgery' thing, and I guess we're just both mad at ourselves for making those mistakes in the first place.

With his whole outburst in front of the ICU, he's managed to stay clear of me for two weeks. I don't know how he did it, but I was never on his service, and was never anywhere remotely close to where his office was. Derek's been telling me that he just needs some time to cool off, but his cooling off period is taking entirely way to long. Most people like to talk about what happened, but Mark has just been avoiding it for as long as possible.

While I was in the locker room, I noticed that I was the only one in there. As I opened my locker, I saw a six pack of apple juice and a letter only saying _I'm sorry_ on it. I smiled to myself as I went to go and find him.

As I put on my scrubs, coat, and shoes, I walked out heading towards the plastics department. As I was looking around, some of the nurses started to snicker, but I just avoided it. I noticed that his office door was closed with the blinds open. I approached the door and heavily breathed before I knocked on the door for a few seconds.

After a few seconds, Mark answered the door with a small smile on his lips, "Hey," he said in a soft tone letting me in.

I smiled back, "You did this?" I asked him while I held out the apple juice and the letter.

He bit his bottom lip and smiled, "If I said yes, would you be mad at me?" he asked in a shy tone.

I laughed a little bit, "I'm sorry too," I said as I answered his question with a smile on my face. "I was out of line talking like that to an attending, but I guess I was just having an off day. So, thank you," I said while I looked down to my hands.

He laughed, "Then I guess we are both forgiven then," he said with a nod.

I nodded back, "I guess we are," I said while we both smiled. I looked up to the clock for a few seconds and noticed that I was supposed to get my X-ray done soon. "I should get going," I said as I started to walk towards the door.

"Lexie, wait," he called after me as I reached the door and turned around to face him. "I meant what I said the other day," he said in a whisper while looking down.

I looked up to him with a small smile, "Not now, Mark," I said softly as I walked out of the room and towards the elevator. As soon as I got on I just started to think. I mean, what is a girl supposed to do when a guy like that tells her that he likes her when she doesn't even know what she's feeling on the inside. Don't get me wrong, he's an amazing surgeon, but I honestly don't think he's ready for a real relationship.

Even if we did try and start something, I wouldn't want him around my father. It's not like Mark would get hurt, it's more like my dad would get hurt. See, Mark is more of the protective type of boyfriend. He would make sure that noting bad comes this way, and if it does, he would fight it back with every ounce of being that he has.

I arrived at radiology sooner than I thought, so I just sat in the waiting area for a few minutes, "Little Grey?" Dr. Torres shouted out from behind a desk.

"It's Lexie," I muttered as I walked with her towards the back.

As soon as we were in the room, she put the X-ray board under my wrist and started to get it positioned, "So did you know that Mark was in the intern locker room today?" she said while trying to make small talk to break the tension.

I smiled, "Yes I did, because he put something in my locker."

She smiled back while walking behind the glass, "Don't move," she said while she snapped the first X-ray. "What did he put in there?" she asked curiously.

"Apple juice," I answered simply.

She gave me a questioning look, "Apple juice?" she asked.

I laughed at her, "Yes, apple juice. Mark and I were at Joe's about a month ago, and he asked me to tell him something that most people wouldn't guess, and I said I hated apples but liked apple juice, so he wanted to apologize to me, so he left apple juice in my locker," I said as I answered her question.

She smiled, "See, he is pretty sweet," she said while she took the film tray out from under my arm and put it back, "Well, you're done here, and I'll page you in a little while to see the scans. But, I don't think you'll be operating anytime soon," she said before she left the room with me tailing right behind her.

"Great," I muttered as I went to the pit to be on Hunt's service. As soon as I got down to the pit, I noticed that it was a quiet day today, "Dr. Grey, we could use you at bay five," Dr. Hunt said as he was filling out paperwork at the nurses' station.

After about five minutes of assessing my patient, Cassidy Harries, age nine, I came to the conclusion that she needed surgery for an emergency appendectomy. We soon got her admitted as I went to go find Dr. Torres.

While I was searching throughout the surgical department, I couldn't find her. Not too soon after that, I spotted Mark coming down the hallway looking at some scans, "Mark!" I shouted to get his attention from a few feet away.

He smiled as he walked closer, "Dr. Grey, what can I do for you?" he asked while he leaned against a wall.

"Do you have any idea where Dr. Torres is?" I asked him in a hurry. The surgery was scheduled in a little over an hour, and if I was going to do the surgery, I was going to need the cast off. "I need to find out if she looked at my scans."

He held up the scans to the light, "Well, your Ulna and Radius bones are still broken. It's healing quite nicely actually, but it's still a clean break," he said while he put the scans down. "Sorry, kid, but still no surgery."

I sighed as I kicked the wall next to me, "I need to do this surgery! It's basically a solo surgery, and it's an appy, and it's probably the only time I'm going to be offered this," I explained to him in a rush hoping that he'd let me off.

"Lexie, you know I can't let you do that. It's not just because of you, it's for the health of the patient, and you know that. There are going to be other solo surgeries in a few years' time. And knowing you, you're going to get the intern solo surgery anyways," he said while passing it off as no big deal.

I groaned as I walked away without saying anything. Making sure that he wasn't following me, I walked into an empty on call room, locked the door, closed the blinds, and sat on the bed and just started to let it all out.

You never really know when you're going to cry, or sometimes you don't even know what for, but sometimes you just need to. There's just been so much going on, that sometimes the only thing you can do is to take a few minutes to yourself and just calm yourself down by even crying. I don't know why I had to pick today to do it, but I just have this feelings like nothing else is going to work except crying for today.

After a little while, I heard someone open the door and sit down next to me. "The door was locked for a reason," I said in a whisper while I dug my head further into my hands.

"The nurses gave me a key," he said simply as he put his arm around my shoulders and put my head on his shoulder, "What's wrong?" he whispered softly.

I shook my head, "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know if it's because of the arm, the surgery, my father, and list just goes on. I just…don't know," I sighed.

He hugged my shoulders tight, "You do have a lot on your plate," he pointed out, "but, there's nothing wrong with crying every now and then. Why don't you talk to Meredith about any of this? I think she really could help you out with the family issues, or you could always talk to Callie. As much as she may not seem friendly, she really is. Or you could talk to me," he said in a whisper.

I looked up to him for a minute, "You don't want to hear about my problems," I said while he shook his head.

"I don't mind your problems, now if it was your sister's problems, then it would be a different story," he said while we both let out a little laugh.

"Why are you being nice to me? I've been a total bitch to you the last few weeks, and you decide to start being nice. Why?" I asked him in confusion. I mean, he hasn't been much nicer, but he was the one to try to make things right between us.

"There is this thing called _caring_, Lexie," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Like I said a few hours ago, I really did mean what I said a few weeks ago. You're forbidden fruit, and, well, just call me Eve," he said with a little laugh.

I gave him a small smile, "I can't talk about this now, Mark, I just can't," I told him while he looked down to the ground and sighed.

"Are you ever going to be able to talk about this, Lexie? Because it really seems to me that you won't be," he said in a disappointed tone before walking out of the room.

I sighed to myself as I leaned back against the pillow and picked up where I left off, "No, Mark, I don't think I'll ever be," I answered him in a soft whisper before taking a much needed sleep.

(Mark's POV)

I groaned to myself as I entered the ortho department. "Callie," I barked out as I was walking. "I need to talk to you."

She smiled as he said goodbye to one of the nurses and made her way over to me, "Yes?" he asked while we started to walk around the hospital. "Did you tell Lexie about the scans, because I was called in on a trauma and didn't get a chance to page her," she said a little nervously.

I nodded my head, "Yes I did, and she didn't take it well. I tried talking to her, and actually telling her how I'm starting to feel, and she just passes it off. I mean, I understand that she's under a lot of pressure, but I mean, come on already, she needs to talk to me at one point or another," I said in frustration.

She frowned, "Maybe just give her some time?" she suggested.

"I've given her two weeks!" I exploded at her while she looked back with a surprised look on her face. "I'm a man looking for a relationship, not a one night stand. I've given her just as much time as I can no matter what you may say. Now, if she wants to step up to the plate and actually think about it, then I will be willing to wait longer, but this is just getting ridicules, Callie," I finally said in a much calmer tone than before.

She smiled a little bit, "Why don't you ask her on a date? You know, girls usually like that stuff. Nothing fancy, but why don't you just take her to Joe's or something? I know I'm not in the place to tell you what you can and can't do with a girl, but I think she would actually like that," she said while she made a point.

I thought about it for a few minutes, "That's actually not that bad of an idea," I said while snapping my fingers as I went to go and find Lexie.

As I started to walk, I started to think that maybe she didn't want to see me. I mean, I wasn't exactly the perfect person in there with her, and I did explode at her, but maybe she'll forgive me just like she did earlier. If that means that I have to go buy another six pack of apple juice, then I will.

After searing for her through most of the surgical floor, I finally found her back at the ICU with red puffy eyes, "I'm sorry," I said as I went to stand next to her.

"You are unbelievable," she snapped, "First you yell at me telling me how to live my life, then you yell at me for wanting to do my _job_, and finally you yell at me because I wasn't in the mood to talk about a relationship. Really, Mark, really?" she said in an angry tone.

"Lex, come on, just hear me out," I said while I put my hands up in front of her.

"You have two minutes, and go," she said while she looked down at her watch.

I sighed as I stepped closer to her, "I'm not good at the apology think, okay? Hell, I'm not even good at the talking thing, but I am good at screwing things up between friendships. Just ask Derek, and he'll give you a list of what I've done wrong to him, but that's not the point. I don't mean to snap at you, Lexie, I don't even mean to want to snap, it just happens. It hurts me to see you get physically abused by your father, and what hurt worse is you wanting to go and forgive him for what he's done to you.

"I hate the fact that I screw up talking to you and even trying to comfort you, but that's just the way I am. I don't know how to change for girls, and I especially don't know how to live a real relationship. I'm just not that guy, but for you I want to be that guy. I'm sorry that I keep yelling at you for wanting to do surgical procedures, but there is a rule saying that I legally can't. Trust me, if I could, I would let you scrub in on any surgery you wanted because you deserve to," I said while she actually smiled a little bit.

"Yes, I did give you juice boxes to try to make up for something, but that's me, Lexie. I buy things to make people feel better because I'm not good at feelings. I'm not good at telling girls how I feel, and I'm not good at being best friends with people. I know you don't want to talk about having a relationship right now, but that's what I need to talk about. Lexie, will you go on a date with me tonight after our shift?" I asked her bluntly.

She literally flinched back, "Really?" she asked with a smile.

I smiled back, "I'll meet you in the lobby at nine," I said before I started to turn away, "Oh, before I forget, go find Torres, she has a surprise for you," I said while she looked confused before I went off to get Callie to do me that favor.

As soon as I spotted her in the orthopedics nurses' station, I walked over with a smile, "I need a favor from you," I said outright while she turned around and gave me a questioning look. "Look, I have a date tonight and to make it up to her, I need you to let her scrub in on a surgery, but just not touch anything. She keeps the cast on, but she doesn't have to be in the gallery," I said while she laughed a little bit.

"I was going to do that anyways, but no problem. And congrats Mark," she said while she patted me on the back with an approving smile. "See, I told you, just give her time and start off slow and things will go smoothly for you," she said while I nodded actually taking in what she was saying.

"Thank you, for the help I mean," I said while she nodded. "And speaking of Lexie, here she comes. You can tell her," I said while I leaned against the edge of the counter.

"Dr. Torres, Dr. Sloan," she said while she nodded in both of our directions, "What's the surprise?" she asked suspiciously.

Callie laughed while she handed her a scrub cap, "I have a hip replacement, and I need an intern. You aren't allowed to operate, but you can stand at the table and observe," she said while Lexie's smiled the biggest smile I've seen all day. "Go prep room 2632 for surgery," Callie said while handing her the chart.

"Thank you!" she said while crashing Callie into a hug. After she hugged her, she came over and hugged me, "Thank you," she whispered into my ear with a smile before running off and getting the patient prepped.

"Thank you," I said to Callie while she smiled and started to walk away.

"You better call me as soon as your date is over. I want details!" she said before she went to go into surgery.

I laughed to myself as I went to go and finish paper work in my office, "Damn interns can't even do paperwork for an attending," I muttered to myself as I sat down and began to fill out charts before being interrupted. "Come in," I said loudly without looking up.

"How's my favorite dirty mistress doing?" Meredith Grey asked while walking into my office.

I laughed as I pointed to a chair to sit down, "I should be asking the same thing, but I'm good. Any reason why you're here?" I asked her.

She looked around the room, "Oh no reason. Rainy days, cloudy night, maybe the fact that you're going on a date with my sister after surgery may have something to do with it," she said while she narrowed her eyes at me.

I groaned, "I am a grown man, Meredith. I don't need to be told who I can or can't date," I said in an angry tone.

She shrugged her shoulders, "That is true, but did you ever think of the consequences, Mark? You date Lexie, then that means you're basically dating me. Now, if you want to actually try and date her without breaking her heart, then be my guest. All I'm saying is that you hurt her, you hurt me," she said while getting up.

"No offense, but where did you hear all of this?" I asked her while I stood up with her, walking around to where she was.

She rolled her eyes, "The nurses like to gossip," she said while shrugging her shoulders. "You know that what you say isn't protected unless told in the boiler room, right?" she said with a little laugh. "But I mean it Mark, just don't hurt her," she said.

I sighed to myself, "She hates apples," I said softly.

She looked back at me, "What?" she asked.

I looked down towards the ground, "Lexie hates apples, but she likes apple juice. She has a photographic memory also. Her favorite color is blue because it's the most peaceful color to her. She thinks of it that way because of the scrubs. The hospital is her safe place, and what kind of a safe place is having older half sisters watch out for their backs and basically controlling their life? That isn't safe, that's just sometime to dread every day. She is her own person, and I don't care if you or Derek doesn't approve of me going on a date, not a relationship, no sex, but just a date with Lexie. So, if you can't look past your own selfish needs, then you are going to have a very hard time figuring out the rest of your life," I told her in a serious voice looking at her while she stared back at me in shock.

"I'm not living her life," she started to say before I cut her off.

"No, you aren't living her life, but what you're doing is worse. You're guiding her life in the way that _you_ want it to go. If you can't be happy for me, let alone your sister, then don't bother trying to help, because that's just tearing you two apart," I said.

She narrowed her eyes at me, "You have no right Mark Sloan to tell me who my sister is," she said before turning around.

"And you have no right coming into my office and telling me who I can or can't date," I said while she just walked out of my office and slammed my door.

"Finally," I muttered after she left. No, Meredith Grey did not have the right to tell me who I can or can't date, and I don't care if she did this for Derek. I do believe that she is not Lexie, so that just means that she leaves her love life to her and Derek or whoever else.

After a few hours of just sitting around and thinking, I noticed that it was almost nine. I quickly changed out of my scrubs and into my casual clothes and started to head down to the lobby. As soon as I walked down, I noticed her sitting in one of the chairs staring out through the window. "You ready?" I asked her while she looked up and smiled and nodded.

"So, how was the hip replacement?" I asked her while we started to walk towards Joe's.

She nodded, "It went good. Nothing went wrong, so it wasn't really that exciting honestly," she said while shrugging her shoulders.

I laughed a little, "So I'm guessing that you don't want to go into orthopedics as your specialty" I asked her.

She laughed while shook her head, "No," she answered flatly. "Honestly, I have no idea in what I want to go into. I was thinking pediatrics, but I've never been on Arizona's service, so I wouldn't know," she said while frowning a little bit. "I'm usually stuck on Christina's service, but honestly, today was a nice change. I didn't have to sit in a gallery and take notes on yet another valve replacement surgery. Honestly, I think I could do one of those on my own after all the times I've seen one," she said with a little laugh while I looked sternly at her.

She rolled her eyes, "In another two to four weeks, or course," she said while we both laughed.

"That's more like it," I said while I held the door open for her when we got to Joe's. I led her towards the bar stools while Joe came over, "Dr. Grey, Dr. Sloan," he said with a nod, "the usual?" he asked while we both nodded.

"When I was little, my dad would complain about not being about to see Meredith," Lexie said out of the blue while I turned and faced her. "As much as Meredith may think that he and I have the perfect relationship with my father, she's wrong. He was a bigger fan of my sister, Molly, than me. She didn't want to become a surgeon, and once he found out that I wanted to do that, things just started to get worse.

"Of course I pass it off," she said while shrugging her shoulders, "but sometimes I just wonder what it would be like if I wasn't a surgeon. Maybe I could have been a teacher for younger kids. I always did like young children, and I'm good with handling them, but who knows what I would have done. Or, if my mom didn't die, I wouldn't have taken my internship at Seattle Grace and I would be at Mass General studying for my intern exam right now, but who knows," she said while she stirred her drink.

I scoffed, "What does Mass Gen have that we don't?" I asked while she looked up and smiled. "I can tell you," I said while going closer to her, "Mass Gen doesn't have men bringing very attractive women apple juice boxes apologizing for something they did wrong," I said while she laughed a little.

"I bet that they don't," she said while agreeing. "Mass Gen doesn't have you," she said in a whisper while looking down.

I looked at her in the eyes for a few seconds before pulling away, "That they don't," I said while she looked up and smiled at me.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out soon after.

I looked at her surprised for a few seconds before she went on to explain herself, "I haven't been able to speak a simple sentence without snapping or saying the wrong thing. I keep complaining about surgery, and we both know that I can't physically do it. Most of all, I'm sorry that I don't know how to give you what you want. I don't know how to live a real relationship," she said sheepishly.

I laughed a little bit, "Then I guess that it's kind of perfect. We can start from the beginning," I said while she looked up and smiled.

"I'd like that," she said while she raised her glass, "To beginnings," she said.

"To beginnings," I said with a smile while we toasted and smiled at each other.

After a few minutes of talking, my pager went off with the words _He's back_ from Derek.

I chocked on my Scotch while Lexie looked at me in a worried state.

These are the times where I wish we could just _disappear._

_

* * *

_**So...did ya all like it?**

**I sure hope so, cuz this Lexie/Mark thing isn't that easy haha**

**But...I need help..when do you want them to kiss? Next chapter, in a few chapters or what**

**Also, do you like their fights, or start to down play them...I personally think more info comes out**

**Hmm..so again, Imma ask for 10 reviews before i update...sorry, it's just i'm busy =[**

**BUT I love you all for starting to read my story!**

**My goal is to have it over 100,000 words...and yes, the chapters do get longer...soon you'll get like 9,000 word chapters...i usually do 5 or 6 thousand in the beginning**

**SO...Put on your reviewing caps, and help me out on what to do**

**If you review, I will send you virtual cookies in the beginning of the next chapter=]]**

**I love you all!  
~~Sammiee  
**


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